Reviving Optima Batteries

B

Bruce Hart

Active member
Oct 18, 2011
1,414
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From an Optima technician on how to restore a deeply discharged Optima battery.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=you+tube+Reviving+optima+battery+with+10+amp+manual+charger&&view=detail&mid=1C0331BFC432EF4217441C0331BFC432EF421744&&FORM=VDRVRV

I have just revived a 7 year old Red Top that my brother said was dead. I used a Die Hard manual charger with 10amp and 2amp settings.
Set to 10 amps and hours later I used my automatic charger with AGM charging capabilities and got a full 100% charge.

If you find that the top of the Optima battery has a bulge it will not take a successful charge as one of the cells is dead. Also
when charging and the battery gets 100 degrees (hot to the touch) that would also indicate a shorted cell.

I have also revived a Ryobi Lithium battery that would not take a charge.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=reviving+ryobi+nicad+battery&view=detail&mid 6522C678D070DAADD40A6522C678D070DAADD4&FORM=VIRE

--
Bruce Hart
1976 Palm Beach
Milliken, Co
 
If this guy guy is a battery tech representing Optima, this is a good reason for me to never buy a battery from them.

Can you SAY KABOOM?

I know what he is trying to do, but using heavy battery cables and a good battery is NOT that way to do this. Using a battery and cables capable of
several hundred amps is not the way to do it. If there is a short or the battery develops one while charging, I believe the correct non-profane word
to use is KABOOM.

He had several better choices.
1. Use a charger that does not check for a reference 12 volts before starting.
2. Keep the existing charger and use some low current 12 volt source with very thin wires like on of the $5. HF battery maintainer to fool it into
starting. Once it is started usually you can remove the reference voltage immediately and the charger will stay running. If it is still needed,
leave it on for an hour or so while charging using your smart charger. The maintainer can only put out about 6 watts (1/2 amp) and can not supply
enough power to blow up a battery.

I hope someone does not get hurt or blinded from flying battery parts and acid following this utube video.

Can you spell LAW SUIT?

Quote:
> From an Optima technician on how to restore a deeply discharged Optima battery.
>
> https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=you+tube+Reviving+optima+battery+with+10+amp+manual+charger&&view=detail&mid=1C0331BFC432EF4217441C03
> 31BFC432EF421744&&FORM=VDRVRV
>
> I have just revived a 7 year old Red Top that my brother said was dead. I used a Die Hard manual charger with 10amp and 2amp settings.
> Set to 10 amps and hours later I used my automatic charger with AGM charging capabilities and got a full 100% charge.
>
> If you find that the top of the Optima battery has a bulge it will not take a successful charge as one of the cells is dead. Also
> when charging and the battery gets 100 degrees (hot to the touch) that would also indicate a shorted cell.

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Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
Yes he should have made the neg battery jump at the Optima not the flooded cell to minimize danger. He should not leave setup unattended. He keeps
calling that charger conventional but it has some smart circuit if not turning on. I have and old dumb Rayovac 10A charger for things like this. It's
just a transformer and rectifier with breaker and Ammeter. It will get a very low battery into a range where a smart trickle can finish it over
several days without the hi Amp paralleling risks.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Furthermore he says the battery is "good" once charged without doing ANY load performance testing! If this is how they test returned product, no
thanks!!
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Yes John,
There were several other minor errors in the video. I just wanted to say in my posting:

DO NOT DO THIS AS HE IS SHOWING

I have blown up a few lead acid batteries in my time.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
Ken your assesment was spot on. I was just further embelishing. I remember back in to 70s I got into a Chevy C 50 truck and hit the key to crank.
BOOM. The battery exploded. The entire top was gone and exposed. From that day on I used much increased safety precautions around batteries.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
He never says to leave these unattended, and he mentions you need to monitor the battery temps and that if it gets hot, you have a bad battery and to
stop....

Yes it is definitely better to sack up and buy an AGM charger if you have AGM batteries...

But if:

1. You are not an idiot
2. You don't have an AGM charger

this works fine... You only need to do it for a few minutes until the "Smart" charger thinks the AGM is no longer dead.

BTW, the reason modern chargers do not recognize the discharged AGMs is to prevent people from blowing themselves up when charging conventional
batteries that have faults.

Also, as to Optima batteries, I have not bought one recently, but I have 5 vehicles with these batteries in them, all the batteries are over 10 years
old, and one is even from 2003, and is still going strong. Only thing I don't like about the Optima's is their cost. I've been going with less
expensive AGMs from East Penn to save some $$, but none is over 5 years old, so I won't know if I've actually come out ahead vs the Optima's for some
time.

The only thing conventional lead acid batteries have going for them is up front cost.

But:

They don't last as long as AGMs, so you need to replace them more often, and they require more periodic attention. I've cleaned up, repainted, welded
in new metal on enough vehicles that used lead acid batteries that I will never buy another. I've even switched the house batteries on the GMC over
to AGM. Just don't have the time to deal with the maintenance, the replacements and the mess.

If you're going to keep a vehicle for any length of time, and you value your time, AGM is the only way to go.
--
Mark S. '73 Painted Desert,
Manny 1 Ton Front End,
Howell Injection,
Leigh Harrison 4bag and Rear Brakes,
Fort Worth, TX
 
FWIW, I've also run 2 Odyssey AGMs... One is around 8 years old, and not doing so hot... But it sat for a while after my son wrecked my truck a few
years back. The other is a lightweight race battery, and seems to be doing ok. But they were a ton of money.... IMO, not better than the
Optimas...

I've been running this battery in the GMC as a starting battery, as well as 2 in my diesel truck, and have been pretty pleased, though I haven't had
them long....

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/duracell-agm-deep-cycle-marine-and-rv-battery-group-size-sl34magm/prod3590225.ip

I believe it is an East Penn. It sells for around $120 at the Sams Club here.... Not really much more than a regular lead acid battery, and a steal
for an AGM of this capacity.
--
Mark S. '73 Painted Desert,
Manny 1 Ton Front End,
Howell Injection,
Leigh Harrison 4bag and Rear Brakes,
Fort Worth, TX
 
> I've been running this battery in the GMC as a starting battery, as well as 2 in my diesel truck, and have been pretty pleased, though I haven't
> had them long....
>
> https://www.samsclub.com/sams/duracell-agm-deep-cycle-marine-and-rv-battery-group-size-sl34magm/prod3590225.ip
>
> I believe it is an East Penn. It sells for around $120 at the Sams Club here.... Not really much more than a regular lead acid battery, and a
> steal for an AGM of this capacity.

Looking back on this website, I forgot to mention that there are some bad reviews from people using this as a trolling motor battery... And I can't
speak to that, as I'm not using it as a deep cycle...

However, from what I read, this is the same battery as the Deka34 AGM/Die Hard Advanced Gold automotive battery, just with Marine terminals, which are
handy for hooking up the GMC...

Here is a link to the Die Hard which includes reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/DieHard-38232-Advanced-Gold-Battery/dp/B077741997/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=Duracell+AGM+34&qid=1551206138&s=automotive&sr=1-1-fkmr1

--
Mark S. '73 Painted Desert,
Manny 1 Ton Front End,
Howell Injection,
Leigh Harrison 4bag and Rear Brakes,
Fort Worth, TX
 
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